Study: 4-iron vs. 4-hybrid (Powered by Arccos)

Long irons have a certain stigma attached to them. Most golfers have heard Lee Trevino’s “Even God can’t hit a 1-iron” quote. The only players who need a 2-iron in their bag are playing with sponsors’ logos all over their shirts. The same can be said for 3-irons as well. But for some reason, the approved exchange of long irons for hybrids ends there. Why does the 4-iron get a free pass into so many bags? And should it?

Using the massive Arccos dataset, we were able to find answers. Analyzing more than 100 million shots taken over the course of 1.6+ million rounds, we can compare how different handicap levels perform with a 4-hybrid and 4-iron; focusing on tee shot distance, fairways hit percentage, greens in regulation percentage, and overall score.

Arccos tracks all of this on-course performance data via sensors installed in the grips of clubs. The system automatically records and analyzes all of a golfer’s stats, shows users their optimal strategy for every shot using an AI caddie, uses advanced analytics to inform practice regimens, and much more.

Through this trove of data, three trends emerge:

For hitting into greens, the 4-hybrid produces better results.

Off the tee, golfers across the board hit more fairways with a 4-iron.

The 0-5 handicap bracket is more effective with the 4-iron than any other bracket. Almost every other bracket hits the ball longer and hits more GIRs with the 4-hybrid.

Distance

Off the tee, only the lowest and highest handicap players saw yardage gaps in distances between the 4-hybrid and 4-iron. The 0-5 handicap bracket hit 4-irons more than four yards farther than a 4-hybrid, while the 20+ handicappers were almost two yards longer with a 4-iron. Bigger discrepancies began to pop-up when we added in approach shot distance yardages.

When comparing tee shot and approach shots with both clubs, almost every handicap bracket saw an uptick in distance on their approach shots compared to off-the-tee distance.

The exception is the 0-5 handicap. That group actually saw a decrease with both clubs, including an 8-yard decline in distance with the 4-iron.

On approach shots, most brackets are appreciably longer with 4-hybrids. The 11-15 handicap bracket was almost 5 yards longer! The lone holdout? The 20+ handicappers, who are almost 2 yards longer with a 4-iron.

If you think these distance numbers are low, keep in mind: the Arccos Driving Distance Report found that the average driving distance for all users in 2017 was 220 yards.

Accuracy

Distance is one thing, but modern hybrids can hide swing flaws and keep a ball in the fairway in ways long irons can’t. Right?

Not so fast. The data suggests otherwise – at least off the tee.

Four handicap brackets hit the fairway at about the same rate with both clubs. The outlier was the 0-5 handicaps, who hit the fairway 46.20% with the 4-iron compared to 43.50% with the 4-hybrid.

Approach shots (below) tell a different story. The data favors the 4-hybrid in every handicap bracket.

One interesting note that shows the ever-widening gap between PGA Tour pros and single-digits. The average 0-5 handicap has a GIR percentage of 22.09% with the 4-hybrid, which from the above chart is around 165 yards. Looking at GIR percentage from 200+ yards – the best equivalent to a long iron approach for pros – the PGA Tour average so far this season is 42.35%. The leader, Henrik Stenson, hits the green a remarkable 60.81% from 200+ yards out.

Another stark realization for amateurs: The PGA Tour average in fairway hit percentage using all club types was 61% in 2017. A 14.81% increase compared to the average 0-5 handicap with a 4-iron.

Average Score When Using As Tee Club

A straightforward way to tell what club is best; what’s the average score when you actually put it in play. This analysis wasn’t restricted to a certain kind of hole, so it could be on a par-3, par-4 or par-5. But, the answer was clear.

Every handicap bracket saw a lower score when using a 4-hybrid off the tee compared to a 4-iron. The 11-15 handicap bracket saw the biggest margin with a 4.46 average score with a 4-hybrid compared to a 4.64 score with the 4-iron. That may not sound like much, but those margins add up over the course of a round.

As you go from the best players to the worst players, the gaps widen. The 20+ handicap with a 4-hybrid is nearly .20 strokes better than with a 4-iron.

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In the next series, we’ll take a deeper dive into bag makeup with a focus on all woods, hybrids, and long irons. If you have any suggestions on what you’d like to see covered, drop us a note in the comments.

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75 Comments

Bill

8 months ago

Can the authors address the considerable difference from what I expect is real-world distance that I see with these two clubs? I see most 4h clubs used on holes like a 200 yard par 3 – and they aren’t ending up 40-50 yards short.

Austin

9 months ago

I am a 4 handicap and have no issues with carrying a standard 4i over a hybrid of any type. I create loads of spin because of how steep into the ball I am so traditional hybrids “get up” too quick for me. I am looking to control trajectory especially with longer irons, ie: punch, flighted low, high and towering. I do play a 3 iron in the g400 crossover with the tour x-stuff in it to help with keeping the flight down.

BallBuster

10 months ago

What data I missed and would be interested to know is what the comparative lofts are? I’m assuming they’re the same. Saying “4” whatever does not make them at least comparable to me. I’m 59 and just went back under 10 to a single digit hcp index, but I love my 3 hybrids. I range from a 17 degree to a 25. But I recently bought a set of Titleist 716 AP1s and their #4 iron rivals my 25 hybrid (not meant to be a shameless plug for Titleist). But I used to love long irons as I have a 219 yard ace with my old Ping Eye2 #1 iron 20 years ago and now hanging on my wall… so Lee is not telling the whole truth!

Mike

10 months ago

SERIOUSLY? 20+ handicappers hit a 4 hybrids barely better than a 4 irons? That’s a joke…which 20 handicappers are these (sandbaggers!!!). Most 20+ handicappers (which means you shoot roughly mid-90’s) embarass themselves w/ a 4 iron. The reason many still carry it is, IMHO, they’re to stubborn, afraid or whatever to TRY a 4 hybri d. And if you’ve never hit a hybrid, it will feel funny to you & you’ll probably hit it awkwardly. Gotta believe that’s what happened in this “test”. Now I’m not a fan of the really higher-loft hybrids (they baloon way too much) but I ditched my 4i a lifetime ago & have never looked back. I cannot imagine hardly ANY teaching pros advising a 20+ handicapper to ditch their 4H for a 4i !

FWIW, I’m 64 yars old and play to about a 12-14 handicap. I’ve stopped trying to fit clubs into my bag. Call me a cheat if you’d like, but since I play only 5-8 times a year now, unfortunately, the last thing I need to do is take clubs out of my bag. I carry a driver, 3-wood, 19-degree hybrid, another 19-degree hybrid with a steel shaft (launches completely differently), then a 2-iron through PW irons, along with gap wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge and 1-2 putters. If I don’t know the course, I might even another 1-2 clubs. Unless I’m playing somebody for money, the last thing I;’m going to do with only 10 rounds a year is limit my bag for clubs and shot selection. I don’t hit the 2-iron off the deck at all anymore, but I can still hit it off a peg with a flighted rope shot into a fairway much better and longer than any hybrid. Long story short: the 14-club rule is the dumbest rule for a handicap golfer who’s playing for fun only a handful of times a year. And if you’ve never seen or played the course before, it makes even less sense. Like I said, if I was playing a money match, I could take clubs out of play at a moment’s notice. Otherwise, I’d rather play what I know I play best.

Nick

11 months ago

Replaced my 4 iron over 10 years ago. The versatility of this club is fantastic. Chipping, pitching, high soft landing on greens.
The hybrid is longer by 5 yards than my 4 iron and easier to hit.
Great to see this type of article.

BIll

11 months ago

I am 7 who doesn’t hit it very long. There is no comparison for me between the 4h and 4i. The 4h flies further and higher and is much easier to hit from tee, fw, or rough. I even use a 5h much of the time. Hybrids have been a great help for my game.

El

golfraven

11 months ago

Six years ago I opted for a 4H 24* in my set however this time around I tested the standard iron, a hybrid and a driving/distance iron and last was most consistant of the bunch. Love my T-MB 4iron and I feel I have best of both worlds – lenght and accuracy. With the increasing number of driving irons I don‘t see why more folks shouldn‘t put one in the bag.

Andrew Singleton

ChipNRun

11 months ago

By the 4H, it appears the tests used an “iron replacement” hybrid rather than a “traditional” hybrid. An IR hybrid usually parallels the loft and shaft length of a matching set of irons by the company who made them.

The traditional 4H, however, has a shaft length between a 4W and a 4i.

I generally carry a 4W, 7W, 4H. For three of about 15 courses I play regularly, I will carry a 4i also. These courses have a par 3 or two of about 180 yards, or a short par 4 with a strange landing area. If I really hit a 4H on those par 3 holes, I’ll fly the green into bad things.

Brandon

11 months ago

I’m a 14 hcp and carry a 19 degree hybrid, 21 degree 3 iron, and 24 degree 4 iron, etc. All of those clubs serve a specific purpose, and I can hit them solid more often than not. The reason my index is poor, which I suspect is the case with many other mid handicappers, is that I hit tee shots out of bounds and three putt a lot. I seriously doubt switching out long irons for hybrids is going to drastically reduce the number of shots most people take in a round.

Larry

11 months ago

Am I not understanding the data? Every HC level except 0-5 hits both the 4h & 4i farther off the fairway/rough than they do off the tee? This just doesn’t seem right to me. Not saying the data is wrong – just really not what I would have expected.

mackdaddy

11 months ago

I’m a sub 5 handicap and love hitting my 4 hybrid. I hit it 200 -210 and it stops after one bounce and a short roll on the greens. I hit it off the tee on two of the hardest holes on my home course because it is totally reliable.

VA_Golfer

11 months ago

The data seem to support playing whatever club suits your eye best. According to the charts shown, in the best case, a 4h will save one stroke over the course of five rounds. Given most hybrids are coming in north of $200/retail these days the ROI in terms of improvement would appear to be very low.

Shailesh

Ryan Hall

11 months ago

I’d like to see a comparison done with more fairway woods vs hybrids vs long irons. I hit my woods way yonder better than I ever thought about hitting hybrids. Been thinking of maybe pulling a Michelle Wie, and just adding a few more woods to the bag.

JonD

11 months ago

Great article. I was actually surprised that the 4I compared so well to the 4H. I took the 4I out of the bag back in ’06. Best thing I ever did. The only time I use my 5I is to hit out from under a tree. The 5I is a thing of beauty when I hit it. Problem is I have too many disaster shots with it.

I am a 14.8 and 66 years old. I am strongly considering taking the 5I out and adding a 6th wedge. My old red head Nike hybrids are real confidence builders. I love the small heads and they are just so much easier to hit than a low iron –consistently.

Jorge

11 months ago

The only discrepancy not addressed here is that most 0-5 hndcps player carry a 4 iron instead of 4H, so the universe taken is not even for comparison. It would be interesting to do a test of the same group of players testing their best fit or gamers 4i vs their best fit on a 4H.

JustWellsy

11 months ago

I’m a +2 who plays to about a 4 currently (2 very young children, haha) and for me it all comes down to minimizing catastrophic misses. I don’t remember the last time I hooked a 3-iron out of play, but I can pinpoint several times where I hit a 3-hybrid off the face of the earth. If I aim left and try to hit a cut with the 4-iron, I know at worst the ball may not cut and will end up somewhere along my starting line. With the hybrid there are times where I have the dreaded double cross miss and those are never playable unless you are playing the easiest of courses with parallel fairways and no trees.

Also, I didn’t see anyone mention the shaft disparity here. Every low handicapper I know uses steel shafts in their irons and graphite shafts in their hybrids. You’re looking at a ridiculous difference in shaft weight and profile. My irons are 130g but my hybrid is 85. I can swing the hybrid much faster and hit it further (less spin), but the consistency is awful. Even when hitting it well the extra yardage is NEVER worth it if I’m going to have a stroke that results in some sort of penalty at least once a round.

golfraven

11 months ago

Absolutely agree on your statement. Same old here! I play a dreaded hole where water is on the left and OB on the right. Tee shot is trending towards the water and I can count endless times where a hybrid or wood was ending in a water. However bad you hit the iron it will still be on the fairway 9/10 times.

Bob Pegram

5 months ago

Why not shaft your hybrids with the same shafts as your irons? They would still be easier to hit, but more controllable. Also, some hybrids are weighted to fight a slice. Others are weighted neutrally. Find the latter and you won’t fight the double-cross shot,

Eide Pål Otto

11 months ago

Very interesting results. Still think the distances hit seems very low for a 4h/i. Can you do the same study for 5i vs 5h?

Steven

11 months ago

I must be an anomaly. I carry a driver, TM 3 hybrid, 2- 4 hybrids, one is a Calloway for out of the ruff, the other for the fairway. And then a 5 hybrid. I do swap the Calloway out for my 3wood depending on the course I’m playing. I’m happy with the overall results. I’m 65 and play to a 12 handicap.

Gustavo

MG

11 months ago

I’m about a 4Hdcp. I carry both. I use a 20* Ben Hogan Hi long iron (1 inch short so it’s 3 iron loft with 4 iron length) off the tee and I love it. Most miss hits still go pretty straight, I just lose some distance. But anything other than a pretty good lie, especially out of the rough, I use a 22* Adams hybrid. I find the contact on miss hits to be more playable with the hybrid so it gets the ball out of the rough and moving toward the hole easier, but I definitely have some wild misses in direction with it.

Tyler

Kansas King

11 months ago

I don’t understand why average distance matters in tests regarding irons/hybrids that are used to go specific distances. It doesn’t matter if you hit a 4-hybrid 5 yards longer than a 4-iron. I would rather see statistics that indicate whether the iron or hybrid distance had a tighter dispersion. At the end of the day, if you are 175 yards out, which option will be consistently closest the hole? I don’t know that this article really answered that question directly.

I am a lower handicap and find hybrid distance to be unpredictable. I think they may be easier to hit but the distance seems to be inconsistent.

Adam

11 months ago

Totally agree KansasKing. The hybrid should just fit into the set to make the longer shots easier not to hit the ball further. The hybrids should just replace the irons and their distances not go extra yards. If your 4i goes 190 but now your 4h goes 200 and your 5i goes 180… good luck. 20 yards of no man’s land and now you have figure out the proper combination of taking some off the swing as well as choking down. It’s not good.

ignorance123

Tom Wasley

11 months ago

I have been using a 4 hybrid (Callaway) for years because I hit it higher than the 4 iron and I play the draw bias. But I can not get rid of my 4i because for me it is a great club for advancing the ball when a low shot is required. I like both for different reasons and keep both in the bag. The hybrid is better off the turf and they are both ok off a tee.

LeftyBradd

11 months ago

I have had a Ping G10 23* Hybrid in my bag for close to 10 years, it is consistently my favorite club from 205-215yds from just about anywhere. I am a 9.9 index and started using Arccos this year. I have dropped from a 13 at the beginning of the season and I think the data has a lot to do with it.

Until you actually track every shot with every club you won’t know actually how far you are hitting clubs. I was shocked at my data and basically started taking an extra club on every approach and…what do you know…my GIR went up by 50%. That is insane.

Great comparison, the numbers don’t lie, I am sure this was across thousands of data points (some of them mine). I bought a 4i this year too, Mizuno JPX 900 Forged. I like it but am not seeing the real benefit to my game.

Bottom line, dig into your numbers, really dig in…then the decision will become obvious which is best for your game.

Ben S

11 months ago

Interesting findings. The highest iron I have is a 4 iron. I’m about a 7 handicap but my 4 goes 220. I’ve tried the hybrids and fatter game improvement style irons to replace it but I don’t hit them well. I need a thin top line, smaller sole with some trailing edge relief for the correct turf interaction. I’ve tried the ping crossover, the Adams idea super dhy and some game improvement irons but all saw poor launch conditions and poor numbers

Greg Johnson

11 months ago

Thanks for another great comparison. I switched from hybrids to a 4-iron and I ditched my 3-hybrid for the Ping G Crossover. For some reason, I don’t seem to get miss-hits with the irons. A few times, I have hit the hybrids off the toe or hooked it badly. Not only did it hurt my score, it destroy ed my confidence. I hit my irons high and the long irons don’t present much of a problem. I’m improving impact position in my swing. When I get there, I will give the hybrids another chance.

Bob

ex007

11 months ago

Interesting read. Re the Arccos data, as a user I’m beginning to find that (a) it’s helpful to review after each round, but that (b) generally their data are completely meaningless to draw any conclusions. Here’s why: from the tees I play at my club, I hit a “full” driver on 5 holes. On the other 9 holes off the tee I’ll use hybrid, 3 wood or a choke down driver to avoid trouble. So on the holes where I use driver, my average drive will be 20-40 yards less than on the holes I hit a full driver. Yet at the end of the round, Arccos averages all of my driver swings to give me one number, which really isn’t a true indication of how far I hit my driver. Likewise, with almost every other club in the bag, I rarely hit a club with a full swing. I’ll punch a 7 iron to layup on one hole and then feather a cut in on another because of the pin position. So while the data is somewhat helpful to generalize, I’m beginning to have less and less faith in the accuracy of the numbers the more I use Arccos.

Also, interesting (to me at least) is that I’m a 3.4 handicap per Arccos but a 5.8 per GHIN. Not sure why there’s such a large discrepancy.

Jim

11 months ago

I agree completely with EX007’s analysis with why I quit using my ARCCOS system, plus one more: the system doesn’t always recognize the swing was made, making me spend time after each shot to “make sure” it registered, before I moved from that location.

I would agree 100 percent with your comment, I used the game golf gps tracking system for a bit, and the numbers were so out of whack as the season went on.
Wisconsin golf season starts in April when cold, wet and windy. Mid summer is calm, hot and dry. The problem I found is you simply can’t average out your distances when in April you’re lucky to get a driver out 220 but in July its 260+ basically not all data should be treated equally
The other main problem is that how far your ball goes is not nearly as important as how far I carry the ball off of each club. And none of these systems can tell you that

Adam

11 months ago

Just writing to say I agree with EX007 and everyone else on this comment. I also had Game Golf and it is a great idea if you never have to punch or chip out and hit nothing but a consistent shot every time. I suppose after copious seasons of playing and recording the data, the numbers for your clubs would make sense in total distance but as MJ says it’s far better to know carry, rather than total distance.

Lou

11 months ago

I think players who really do hit down on the ball benefit most by irons, whereas, players who sweep the ball do better with hybrids. The older you get the more likely it is you will sweep so I feel older golfers and women, who are not so strong, benefit more by using hybrids. Strength of swing has a great deal to do with which you like and use better. Arccos does not break out golfers as to age. I think your own testing could give as accurate as result if not more so. Remember, it’s the more avid and dedicated golfer who spends the extra money to buy Arccos.

PeterH

11 months ago

Yes, as a 12 handicap I’m a big believer of 4 iron. Taylormade Psi custom fit Consistent at 190ish yds while 3 and 4 taylormade rescues offer strong hits as pulls and hooks into trouble….. rescues are great out of rough but unreliable in direction.

Thomas A

Thomas A don’t ditch your 60* wedge, sand wedge or your PW as these if used well are scoring clubs. I’m 68 years young, play off a 12 (should be lower but don’t play enough) and can play my 60* from 10 yards to 70 by changing my stance and position of my ball in my stance and to cap it can hit high drops or roll them in accurately. I probably spend 70% of my range work on those 3 wedges plus play out of sea sand on the beach to get my sand trap shots sorted. Where you have to start ‘thinking’ about changing clubs starts at 5 and up……. these are the difficult clubs.

chisag

11 months ago

That 4 iron was used in this test? Which 4 iron makes a HUGE difference. I play to a + index and I have used players clubs most of my golfing life and 4 irons have not been as forgiving as a tour like hybrid. But the P790’s changed all that because they are just soooo forgiving and more accurate than a hybrid. I imagine some modern GI and SGI long irons are equally as forgiving.

JJVas

11 months ago

+1. I’m a 2, and I went through two herniated discs this off-season. Wanted to change EVERYTHING, so I set up Srixon 545s with tour graphite 125g Program 130s in 6.5 flex. That way, I can’t blame the shaft or head because it’s all so different… with no vibration/tendonitis/discomfort. All I can say is that I’m a full club longer (vs. MB2s), and the long irons are super easy to hit. In my 40s, I can hit the 3i up to 225y if I try. I found them easier to hit than any UT, UDI, driving iron whatever.

TexasSnowman

drjacko

11 months ago

Its a good breakdown of data. Some thoughts

-Most hybrids are more similar to fairway woods in terms of construction. The bulge and roll help the misses, but not the dispersion.
-Similarly most hybrids are graphite shafted and if you take the entirety of the hybrid population especially the older ones in circulation (graphite quality and degradation)- dispersion again becomes negatively affected.

Off the tee- you do much better with your normal 4 iron swing with the guaranteed clean lie. With the hybrid- a) differing strike points on the face leads to differring results, b) many players swing differently (look at most instruction articles on using hybrids.

Why the hybrid helps with scoring?
– distance from the majority of lies are less affected. Above a certain handicap even the first cut off rough makes it hard for a 4 iron shot.
– You just pull out the hybrid and hit down. Approaches are manageable, GIR precentages go up and even misses are closer leading to easier saves (therefore lower scores)

Steve

11 months ago

I am generally quite sympathetic to the point being made here, but I wonder how easy it is to make these comparisons. 4 hybrids typically have less than 23* of loft. They are also at least an inch longer than the comparison 4 iron (also nowadays getting rather stronger in loft).

I had a rocketballz tp that I quite liked, but it was 21.5* and as long as an old 7 wood. I hit that thing 30 past my 5 iron. Can you say “GAP ISSUE”?

I am not a particularly great player, but I think more players like me would be more willing to play hybrids if they followed Wishon’s mantra of being true iron replacements, rather than whatever it is that they are now… Also, they need to stop being hook machines…

TexasSnowman

We have a winner Chicago! There are times on the range I get into non hook mode with them. It rarely carries over the course for long. That said I’m not single digit but am still bagging my FT-Z tour driver for the same reason. Everyone doesn’t slice as a career.

JJVas

11 months ago

I felt all of this until I hit the Mizuno JPX 900 hybrids… now I have two in my bag. Flatter lie and 1/2″ shorter with pretty stout shafts available as stock. Check ’em out.

BRIANM

11 months ago

I have the Titleiest 816H1 and you can adjust the surefit hozel to .75 open

Dave S

11 months ago

I’m with you… if you can still find them, I would very much suggest checking out the Adam’s Pro A12 hybrid. A little smaller than a typical hybrid (which i guess goes against your point in a way), but no offset and just feels incredible, I’ll never take it out of my bag. Frankly, I should probably replace my 5i with one too…

Drew

11 months ago

I had to chuckle when I read this piece…very timely for me! I was comfortable hitting my same Mackie hybrids for years until a few weeks ago. I can’t even get the ball in the air lol. The longest iron in my bag is a 5 iron and now I’m seriously considering adding a 4 iron!

Kent

11 months ago

Really interesting read. As a mid-handicapper I wonder what bracket I should focus my attention on. The two brackets better or my own. For me, I think the Iron vs Hybrid discussion comes down to comfortably and confidence in the type of club for my bracket and lower.

Tonk

11 months ago

I currently play to a +2 and I have always struggled to hit a hybrid. I carry a driver, 3 wood and then right into a 2 driving iron then 4-PW to round out my iron set. I feel that hybrids are very difficult to flight and shape and I have always been more accurate with long irons. I do understand the benefit of hybrids for a LOT of golfers and agree most should have one in their bags to replace longer irons, but for me they just don’t perform the way I need longer clubs to perform.

GrueneHorn

11 months ago

I’m 57 and have a 8.2 hdcp. I carry a 4 iron (Callaway Apex) and hit it 205-210 yards. I recently got fitted for Callaway Rogue woods and went from my standard driver/3 wood/5 wood to a driver/ 4 wood/ 4 hybrid. I was never a fan of hybrids, but the Callaway is delivering 220-225 yards. I found that I have to have a really smooth swing on the 4 iron for accuracy and that the hybrid I can be more aggressive with club speed and get accurate results

Simply put my bad shots with a 4 iron are consistently better. I can hook a hybrid into the woods (or pond) with the best of them. I’m a believer in “good” misses. Which generally means short and straight. That said I prefer a hybrid over a 3 wood. For now.

Scott

11 months ago

The distance numbers, especially in the lower handicap brackets really surprise me with both the 4 iron and 4 hybrid. I am a 5 handicap that is 53 years old and weighs 150 lbs and still hits a 4 iron 190 yards (185 carry) and about 5 yards further on each of those distances with an equal lofted 4 hybrid. Hit 2 shots yesterday with a 4 iron to those confirmed distances. I tend to get less dispersion with the 4 iron which is the reason why I have been carrying it instead of the 4 hybrid lately.

Todd

11 months ago

This is really interesting and useful data. I’m currently trying to determine whether or not to carry a 5 wood, a hybrid, or a driving iron to use off the tee on tight/short par 4’s. Any data, specifically in regards to hybrid vs. driving iron off the tee would be much appreciated!